Hopper door for railway cars



JanQB, 1950 .J. s. SWANN 9 HOPPER DOOR FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Aug. 2, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 INVENTOR. James ifiwarzrz,

Jan. 3, 1950 J. s. SWANN HOPPER noon FOR RAILWAY cans 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2, 1946 m m m m Liam fifwam Jan. 3, 1950 J. 5. $WANN 2,493,468

HOPFER DOOR FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Aug. 2,' 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I l I l 8 8 0 8 3- f T I I INVENTOR. L/Zzfize555wazz/z, BY

Patented Jan. 3, 1950 UN lTED STATES 2393,4 31

HOPPER DOOR FOR RAILWAY James S. Swann, Homewood,. Ill'.,. assignor; to.

Standard Railway Equipment;- Manufacturing. Company, Chicago, Ill., aicorporat-ionofiDelaware Application AugustZ, 194 16, SrialNo; 688,067 1 5; Claims.

This invention relates to railway freight cars An object of the invention is to provide a hopper door, preferably formed from a flat meta-l lic plate; andsupported from the'railway car by spaced-hinges and a spreader and which is prov-ided with a continuous peripheral stifiening fian'ge'anda plurality of panels formed therewithinand positioned to cooperate with each other and the peripheral flange in combination with-the hinge straps so that the tendency ofthe door'to bend-or deflect under loadis resistedbya plurality of websof the panels and theperiph era'lflange. In other words, bending on any straight line crossing the door is resisted by a plurality of webs formed in the door.

Another object of the invention is" to provide a freight car drop door having corrugations and/or panels therein so constructed and are ranged that the webs of said panelsjor corrugar tions form a large number of Z-shaped'stiifening ribs-extending at substantially right angles to eachother through the door.

A further object of the invention is toprovide such a corrugated or paneledidrop door socon structed asto'provide certain areas upon'the door .a

in thesame plane to thereby provide fiat bearing surfaces for the attachment thereto of the door hinges and spreader, thus eliminating the necessit'y'of designing special" spreader extensions for locking mechanism, and the hinges are inter,- changeable for any type of car. such construction of door provides a marginal area all in one plane for'flush engagement with the do'or'f'rame.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a door in vertical position embodying'the invention and applied to the door frame of a railway hopper car.

Figure 2 is a section on the line Figure 3 is a section on the ure lwith thedoor closed.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of Figure 1 show; ing the door in closed position and associated parts of the car;

22 of Figureil'. line li -3 of Fig,-

Furthermore,

Figure 5 is a section through the door and isissecuredby. rivets l8.:'to. rolled angle l9; the

hinge;v and, section; modulus curvev and bending moment; curve; of. constant strength.

Theeusualrcar. parts associated withv a hopper car door are shown inthedrawings, such as the hopper'bottom sheet l.fl,-.the.ho.pper. cross ridge sheet: l;l,,hopper inside. sheet.v |2,'.hop.per outside sheett l 3, .hopper stifienen l4, hinge support angle t5, side wall [6; andlowerrside chord. IT. The hopper; stifiener M, which is shownasof angle form, extends across the bottom of the door and base flange offwhichoccursin the same plane as the outeryedgesofthe. hinge supportangle l5 and the side sections l9 and l9.', thusforminga frame for. thehopper opening? stiffener. I4 and angle 5 9,;areialso secured to'the' hopper bottom sheet 0.

The door: for closing said opening is preferably formedi'by hot pressing fromv sheet metal and comprises. a metallic plate 2!] having a corrugation. 21 pressed in the. outer margins of the plate froms theoriginal plane thereof and extending continuously about the door, leaving an outwardly: extendingstiffening flange 22- entirely around=the perimeter of the door. At the upper corners ofthe door, said corrugation 2-! is widened into two substantially rectangular areas; shown as 2335-23; thus-providing flat'bases for the attachment vthereto of the hinge straps 2E. the bolts of which hinges are secured to the hinge support angle; I25.

Substantially centrallyofthe door there is pressed from the original plane of the plate to the plane of said areas 23 a substantially inverted T-shaped panel Z5, thereby leaving a substantially similarly shaped T-shaped corrugation 26 in the original p1ane-= of the-plate between thecorrugations 21 and the panel 25. The ban part- 21 of corrugation 25; which is in the same pl'aneas areas-2323, formsa fiat base for the attachment thereto ofthe Z-shaped spreader 28- of the door. The stem 25 of the T-shaped corrugation-extends between. said areas 23-2-3; and said areas 23'-'23=- form corner gussets to assist in holding said door in square and. plane. Spreader-'28 eXtends across the car'and is simiany attached to the door of the opposite hopper and'said part 21 being in the same plane-as corrugation 2! eliminates the necessity of designing special-spreader extensions for locking mechanism;

In-plan view, as'shown in Figure 1, the door-is providedwith a T'-shaped"panel'26 in theoriginal plane of the plate, and" the similar T-shaped smaller-panel 25; within said'panel 26 but pressed from 'the plane ofthe. plate, and with" the mars section modulii (above the base line 3|) of the various sections between the hinge pin line 32 and the lower margin line 33 of the door. Line 34 shows the bending moments required at the various sections to support an equally distributed load on the door, and line 65 shows the neutral axis of the supporting spreader bar 28.

As the door itself does not'extend to and is not supported by the hinge pins, the hinge straps 24 are designed to continue the beam from the upper margin 35 of the door to the hinge pins. The shaded portion 36 of the diagram Figure 5 shows the minimum required strength added by the hinge strap, which, of course, will vary with different types of hinges.

The sagging or deflection of the door anywhere between the line 38 and 39 (and substantially parallel thereto) is resisted by four webs (40-40, 4|-4| and the hinge straps). Such saggingor deflection between lines 39 and 42 is resisted by six webs 40-40, 43-43 and 44- 44. Such sagging or deflection between the line 42 and the lower margin of the door is resisted by four webs (40-43 and 43-43) which is sufficient, as shown by the diagram Figure 5.

The sagging or deflecting of the door'on lines parallel'to the side margins of the door anywhere between lines 50 and 5| is resisted by six webs 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 and 51. Such sagging or deflecting between lines 5| and 58 or 50 and 59 is resisted by four webs (52, 53, 54 and 55) which is sufficient to support the overhanging load between lines 5|) or 5| and the adjacent side margin of the door. Such deflection or sagging between lines 58 or 59 and the adjacent edge of the door is resisted by two webs 52 and 53.

The drooping of the upper corners of the door between lines 60 and the corner of the door is resisted by webs 40 and 52 and the hinge straps 24."

The drooping of the lower corners of thedoor between lines GI and the corner of the door is resisted by webs 40, 43, 55 and 53'.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that any deflection of the door on any straight line crossing the door will be resisted by a plurality of stiffening webs.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

, Iclaim: 1. A dumpcar door comprising a metallic plate having a continuous corrugation pressed from the plane'of the plate and extending about the sides and top and bottom of the plate adjacent the margins thereof, said corrugation beingoi increased area at opposite corners of one side of said plate to provide suflicient area for attaching hinges thereto, a substantially T-shaped panel pressed from the plane of the plate within and to the plane of said corrugation and forming an attaching surface across the door for a. spreader, whereby'the walls of said corrugation and panel form a plurality of Z-shaped stifieners through the door extending at angles to each other, the stem of said T-shaped panel extending between said increased areas of said corrugation.

2. A door adapted to be hinged to a car above a hopper discharge opening therein for opening and closing said opening, said door comprising a metallic plate having a continuous corrugation extending about the sides and top and bottom of the plate and being of suificient area at the upper corners of the plate to provide attaching surfaces for door hinges, and a T-shaped panel within said continuous corrugation with the flange portion providing an attachingsurface for a spreader and the stem portion extendin between said upper corners of the plate, whereby the walls of said panel and corrugation form a plurality of Z-shaped stiiieners extending transversely and longitudinally of said door.

3. A door adapted to be hinged to a car above a hopper discharge opening therein for opening and closing said opening, said door comprising a metallic plate havinga marginal flange adapted to overlap the walls of the hoppers, a continuous corrugation extending about the sides and top and bottom of the plate adjacent the margins thereof and being of sufficient area at the upper corners of the plate to provide attaching surfaces for door hinges, and a T-shaped panel within said continuous corrugation, the flange portion of said T-shaped panel providing an attaching surface for a spreader and the stem portion of said panel extending toward theupper edge of said plate between said hinge attachingsurfaces, whereby the walls of said panel and corrugation form a plurality of Z-shaped stiifeners extending transversely and longitudinally of said door.

4. A door for forming" aload retaining means fora hopper of a railway car and adapted to be supported from said car by spaced hinges and a spreader adjacent to and spaced from the lower edge of the door; said door provided with a T- shaped panel, pressed in the central portion of the plate, a corrugation extending continuously about the door, pressed in the margin of said door in the direction of and to the plane of said panel, spaced therefrom, and forming a groove for the reception of the hopper walls; said corrugation being enlarged at the corners opposite the narrower portion of said panel to provide corneregussets and fiat portions of the door for attachrnent'of hinge straps to hinge said door to said hopper, so that the space between said panel and said corrugation conforms to the shape of said panel and occurs in the original plane of the plate.

.5. A door for forming a load retaining means for a hopper of .a railway car and adapted to be supported from said car by spaced hinges, said door formed from a single plate of material and provided with a T-shaped panel pressed in the central portion of the plate, a corrugation extending continuously about the doorpressed in the marginof the doorin the direction of and to the planeof said panel andspaced therefrom forminga groove for the reception of the edges of the hopper walls, said corrugation being enlarged at-the corners to provide corner gussets with the stem portion of said T-shaped panel extending therebetween so that the space between said panel and said corrugation conforms to the shape of the panel and occurs in the original plane of the plate, thereby providing a plurality of stifiening ribs of Z-section on any line through the door to resist forces imposed on said door by a, plastic lading.

JAMES S. SWANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Akitt Dec. 21, 1937 

